English guitar legend Jeff Beck, a two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, has died at the age of 78. The cause appears to have been a sudden case of bacterial meningitis.
His death was announced in a statement Wednesday afternoon, Jan. 11, by his longtime publicist.
It read: “On behalf of his family, it is with deep and profound sadness that we share the news of Jeff Beck’s passing. After suddenly contracting bacterial meningitis, he peacefully passed away yesterday. His family ask for privacy while they process this tremendous loss.”
Beck died at a hospital near his home in England, his publicist said, in response to a query from the Union-Tribune.
Beck rose to fame in the 1960s as a member of the band The Yardbirds, before striking out on a solo career that remained active until his most recent tour concluded last November.
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Beck’s instrumental command and dazzling virtuosity were matched by his sublime taste, remarkable purity of tone and his ability to pull off seemingly impossible instrumental feats that sometimes seemed finger-breaking and often sounded otherworldly.
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